A 20-year-old man says he is being “made homeless” after his application for succession of his grandad’s tenancy in Battersea was refused – despite family members living there for over 30 years.

Sales assistant William Meli lived in a house managed by Peabody Housing Association for over five years with his grandfather, who died of a brain haemorrhage last June.

After his grandfather’s death, Mr Meli was served with a notice from Peabody, asking him to leave the property on St Philips Street, Battersea by November 14.

Usually, when a housing association tenant dies, the secure tenancy passes to the tenant's family member in a process called succession.

A successor who was not the tenant's spouse must have been living at the property as their only or main home for at least 12 months before the tenant died.

Now, Mr Meli has a 28-day period to leave, despite saying he “did everything by the book.”

He said he provided at least a year’s worth of evidence to Peabody – including bank statements and a driving license – to prove he had been a long-term tenant.

However, the housing association dismissed his application as fraudulent, linking him to an address Mr Meli stayed at briefly as a teenager.

The 20-year-old says he is at a loss at what to do next.

“I have two weeks to clear the house before I’m essentially homeless. My grandad lived here for 33 years, it has so much sentimental value.”

But I can’t threaten legal action because it consumes too much money.”

A Peabody spokesperson said:

“We have processes in place to deal with succession requests in a way that is sensitive to bereaved families and that recognises the rights of remaining family members.

"These processes also ensure that we are fair, transparent and consistent in the allocation of much needed social rented homes.

"We work closely with a range of partners to ensure that tenancy fraud is prevented and that people who are entitled to take on a tenancy following the death of a family member are able to do so.”